Jordan Media Crackdown Fans Press Freedom Debate

Hundreds of online news outfits in Jordan are suddenly looking to social media, proxy servers and alternative apps to reach their readers after the government blocked nearly 300 web sites earlier this week in a online media crackdown.

The government said it blocked the websites on Monday because they failed to obtain licenses to operate in line with new requirements that were added to a press and publication law in September.

The law imposes other restrictions, as well. Editors of online sites are required to be members of the press syndicate and can be held accountable for responding to readers’ comments, must be archived for at least six months.

Minister of state for media affairs and communication, Mohammad Momani, said the government was now moving to implement the law to protect the “fourth estate from intruders.” He said the government is not trying to stifle responsible free speech.

Critics, however, accuse the government of attempting to curb media freedoms in the wake of the Arab Spring and before some particularly unpopular actions to lower subsidies on electricity and other essentials as part of an economic reform plan.

Jordan’s online news sites have been among the most active in the region. Hundreds of them have churned out news, comments, vitriol and rumors, with some adhering to journalistic principles more than others. They have provided a unfettered free-speech platform for Jordanians who are disenchanted with government reforms, an ailing economy and the flood of Syrian refugees into Jordan. The sites have also been a forum for critiquing the monarchy and its handling of corruption — both largely verboten topics in public before the online age.

At the same time, some web sites have been derided for their lack of professionalism, engaging in character assassination and even blackmail.

Media advocates, however, say that the government’s media law punishes credible websites along with irresponsible ones.

“It’s like killing a fly with a machine gun,” said Daoud Kuttab, founder of Ammannet.net, one of the websites that was blocked on Monday.

Operators of other blocked websites say the government is trying to silence the media and avoid criticism, especially as it moves ahead with plans to raise electricity prices and assumes a wider role in the Syrian crisis.

“This is not an innocent move, and the timing says it all,” said Basil Okoor, owner and editor of Jo24. “The government wants to control independent media ahead of planned measures to raise the electricity prices, water and bread. The law is harsh and has harmed Jordan’s reputation and its standing in the press freedoms internationally.”

Jordan was rated “Not Free” by the media watchdog Freedom House in 2013. Last year, rated the country “partly free.”

For now, website operators, journalists and media advocates are pushing for lifting the ban. The Jordan Press Association called on the government to freeze its decision, calling the government’s reasoning behind the decision “unconvincing.”